


Fourteen Fears

by LIGHToftheRISINGsun



Category: Divergent Series - Veronica Roth
Genre: Action/Adventure, Canon Timeline, Dystopia, Gen, Modern Era, One Shot, Science Fiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-30
Updated: 2016-09-30
Packaged: 2018-08-18 18:20:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8171266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LIGHToftheRISINGsun/pseuds/LIGHToftheRISINGsun
Summary: In preparation for the third stage of initiation, the Dauntless initiates Tris, Christina, Peter, Uriah, and Lynn go through a series of challenging obstacles in their fear landscapes together with Tobias and Eric as a team. The simulation program stores the data of two worst fears from each person, and because there are seven of them, there will be fourteen virtual obstacles in total. Fears can present themselves separately or even at once! Written in Tris's POV and set within the timeline of the book Divergent by Veronica Roth.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I’ve read all the books in the Divergent series (except Four), have seen the films, and fell in love with the story. The ending of Allegiant is so sad. After reading it, I almost wished I hadn’t found out about the truth behind the factions and the people living in the city. Still feel like the first book in the series is the best. I’m fascinated by the fear landscapes. So…I wrote this one-shot! Please give it a go!

I cross the huge underground cavern known as the Pit in the Dauntless compound with Christina, Uriah, Lynn and Peter. Uneven rock walls rise up several stories above me. The five of us follow Tobias and Eric, who leads us up the paths and steps that are built along the stone walls. The way up is narrow, so we have to walk in a single line, and there are no barriers to keep us from falling over the side. Blue lanterns dangle at random intervals above the stone paths to light our way. We climb towards panes of glass that form the roof of the Pit, up a flight of metal stairs leading through a hole in the ceiling—which creak under our feet—and then across the glass floor into a cylindrical room with glass walls. We walk through a door. Beyond it is a huge, dank space with graffiti walls and exposed pipes. The room is lit by a series of old-fashioned fluorescent tubes.

They have taken us to the fear landscape.

On a table next to the wall are seven small rectangular black boxes. Tobias picks one up, opens it, and takes out a syringe containing transparent liquid. Then he goes to stand beside Eric. Not shoulder to shoulder, I notice, but a short distance apart, an indication that they dislike each other. We stand in an arc before them.

Tobias says, “As some of you might have noticed, we are going to go through our fear landscapes. This is a good way to prepare you for the third stage of initiation. This serum,” he holds up the syringe, “connects us to the program, which determines whose landscape you’ll go through. This program stores the data of two worst fears from each person; therefore it’s set to put us through a mixture of our different fears.”

I say, “So instead of taking turns going through each of our fears individually, we’re going to go through them together? As a team?” 

“Exactly, me and Eric included,” he answers with a smile, and I am reminded of the time when I went through Four’s landscape with him and how I helped him during the process. It was when I learned that his true name is Tobias.

Christina ponders, “Two fears from each person and there are seven of us. That makes it…fourteen fears altogether?”

Peter rolls his eyes, “Well, duh. It’s simple math; like you’d even have to ask.”

“Fourteen fears…wow,” remarks Lynn.

“Does that surprise you?” Eric says. “The average number of fears a human has ranges from ten to fifteen.”

Lynn says, “I know. Our instructor told us. I bet I will have at least three less than that.”

“Me too,” says Uriah. “It’s a good thing that only two of those will be presented.”

Tobias continues, “The Dauntless born and transfer initiates have already experienced Lauren’s virtual obstacles the other day, so I’m sure all of you have a good sense of how the simulation works. Except this one will be slightly different because you’re going through them with your fellow initiates. Just be sure to have your wits about you, and deal with the fears as you would when you go through the simulation on your own.”

Eric takes over, “It is all about teamwork, working together, which is one of the things the Dauntless value the most. When faced with a fear that’s your own, however, you shouldn’t rely completely on others to handle it for you. Try to find a way to do it yourself first. If the obstacle isn’t moving on and you are really struggling, then your companions can step in to help you. Although not all fears you deal with are your own, it’s still good practice in training your brain to think of an effective response. The more frequently you go through obstacles, the faster you’ll be in overcoming them, and the higher the probability that you’ll do well in your final test. At the same time, this allows you to watch and learn how other people handle their fears so that you’re able to develop a similar strategy.”

Peter nods in anticipation. I look away.

“Be aware that the program won’t necessarily present two of a person’s obstacles one right after the other, and then move on to the next person’s,” Tobias informs us. “They can come in any order, sometimes even together, so you’ll be forced to deal with multiple fears at once.”

That’s unheard of. Christina’s mouth opens in shock.

“Sounds…interesting,” comments Uriah.

Eric says, “If you are truly brave, it shouldn’t pose too much of a challenge for you.” He pauses and looks at each of us in turn. “Let’s begin.”

Tobias approaches Lynn with the syringe he’s holding and injects the transparent serum into the side of her neck. Then he retrieves another syringe and does the same to Christina. Eric injects Peter and Uriah.

Tobias comes to me and whispers in a voice so low that only I can hear, “Remember to hide your Divergence, Tris. Eric mustn’t find out what you are. Do what a Dauntless would do.”

I think back to my surreptitious eavesdropping on the conversation Eric had with Jeanine, about identifying who the Divergent rebels are and hunting them down, and shudder.

“I will,” I nod firmly. “But why is a leader of Dauntless here with us?”

Tobias replies, “Eric chose to be here. He hasn’t been in his fear landscape for two years, so he wants to see whether it has changed. He has never been in a hallucination with anybody before, so, like me, he’s interested to get a feel of how it’ll be like.” He adds, “Apparently he also wants to see how well we do.”

“Guess I want the same with him,” I mumble.

Tobias presses the syringe gently against the side of my neck. “Tris,” he says, and I look into his deep-set, dreamy dark blue eyes. “Be brave.”

“You too.”

He pushes the plunger, and I feel the coldness of the serum coursing through my veins immediately.

At last, Eric and Tobias inject each other. We wait for the simulation to take us.

The graffiti walls surrounding us disappear. We are standing on the steel rails in the middle of the train tracks in the city, seven stories up. I hear a loud blaring of a horn from behind, and we all turn. A train is gliding toward us, its light flashing, and it’s approaching fast.

Uriah stares at the train with a panicked expression on his face, and says, “Oh no, not this.”

“What is it, Uriah?” asks Tobias.

“This one’s mine. Fear of being run over by a train.”

I look to either side of me. There are no roofs next to the tracks for us to jump onto. All the buildings I see are nowhere near us. I say to everyone, “The roofs are too far away. We’ll have to run.”

“Alright, c’mon!” shouts Tobias.

We sprint down the tracks as fast as our legs can carry us. Peter and Eric are in the lead. I run behind Lynn and alongside Christina. It’s a good thing we’ve done a lot of running already during the first stage of initiation.

The roar of the train gets louder, the vibrations travelling through the rails beneath us intensify, and the rising wind blows my hair in front of my face. I glance over my shoulder. The train is gaining on us.

“Faster!” Eric yells.

We pick up speed, but the distance between us and the train keeps decreasing nevertheless. After a while of running, my lungs are burning and my breaths are coming out in short, quick puffs.

“We can’t outrun it forever!” calls Uriah. “We have to jump!”

Without another moment of hesitation, Uriah runs to the edge of the tracks and leaps. His body hits something hard in the air and then falls back down again. He cries in pain, but quickly gets on his feet. “The glass wall…” he shakes his head, “We’re trapped.”

Just like he said, a wall made of glass is forming along the edge of the tracks on either side of us. Peter pounds on the glass, still running, but it won’t give.

I come up with another option. I shout, “Everybody, lie down!” Without waiting for their response, I stop running, bend and stretch into a lying position in the middle of the tracks, with my arms against my sides and my legs uncrossed to make my body as flat as possible.

It’s coming closer. Closer.

I lift my head slightly and see that everyone has done the same. The train rolls over us. I have to hold my breath to prevent breathing in too many diesel exhaust particles, and I shut my eyelids to shield them from getting into my eyes.

A minute later the train is gone. I sigh with relief and sit up, brushing off dirt from my black shirt and pants.

Christina comes up to me and rests her hands on her kneecaps. “That was pretty cool, Tris!” she congratulates as I stand up.

I open my mouth to say something in return, but stop myself when I notice the scenery changing.

We are in the training room in the Dauntless compound. Surrounding us on three sides is a large crowd of people dressed in black from head to toe who must be members of our faction. Some of them murmur to each other in inaudible voices, but most of them are shaking their heads at us mockingly, their lips curled in disdain. One man with a blue eye patch struts toward us. An image of him lying on the floor next to his bed, clutching his face, his head surrounded by a halo of blood, flashes in my mind. I recognize him.

It is Edward.

He stops in front of Peter and says derisively, “Look at you. Peter: the boy who so boldly and courageously stabbed me in the eye with a butter knife, all for the sake of getting your revenge on me for beating you in the rankings.” He chuckles. “To be honest, I wouldn’t call that courageous at all. I’d call that cowardice. Were you afraid of losing against me? Or were you just jealous because I could aim and fight better than you?”

Peter responds coldly, “You were standing in my way, so I removed you.”

“If you wish to beat someone, you accomplish that by working harder, not by removing them, coward!” snarls Edward. He shoves Peter hard, causing him to stumble backwards.

Peter shoots back threateningly, “Call me that again and I will use you for target practice and take out your other eye.”

Edward throws back his head and laughs. “I bet you can’t even _hit_ a target!” He gestures to the right. I turn in that direction. A large target has appeared about twenty-five yards away. Next to us is a table with knives strewn across it.

Peter grabs one and challenges, “Yeah? I’ll show you.” He aims and throws, and the knife flies towards the target. It looks to me like it’ll be a good hit, but before it reaches the board the target suddenly shifts to the side, and Peter misses.

The Dauntless surrounding us snigger, causing Peter’s cheeks to redden. Peter takes another knife and goes for a second attempt, but again the target moves away before the weapon could hit it, and the silver metal blade clatters to the floor. It’s like the target is playing a game of dodgeball with him. The crowd laughs much louder this time, making Peter more uncomfortable. I’ve always known him to be self-regarding and vain. I don’t think he’s ever been in the position where he is publicly humiliated. It is then that I realize that this obstacle is meant for Peter. It is his fear. I don’t think I’ll be able to confidently hit a moving target with everybody watching either. I spot Tobias beside me scowling, and a few feet away Eric is suppressing a chuckle. I haven’t seen Eric throw a knife before, but does he think he can hit the target? If we get him to try what Peter is doing right now, I wonder who will be laughing then.

Peter’s third, fourth and fifth attempts have all been a fail. I can tell that he is trying hard to prove to the onlookers that they are wrong about him, but by now almost everybody in the crowd is laughing so hard they are bent over their stomachs. Peter regains his composure and resumes his stance, his fingers wrapped over the handle and his arm poised in readiness. The target darts to a different position. The moment it settles, Peter exhales and releases the knife. It sails towards the target at incredible speed and slams against the board, the blade sticking deeply inside. Finally, a hit.

The voices amongst the people quieten.

Pleased with himself, he picks up another knife and turns it over in his hands. I see him glimpse once to his left where Edward is standing in the crowd. Then unexpectedly and without warning, he hurls the knife in his direction. A small gap opens in the crowd as Edward and the people near him rush aside with cries of alarm.

The target, table and the crowd of Dauntless vanish. We wait for a few seconds. When nothing happens, Eric speaks up to break the silence, “It looks like Peter has overcome his fear. Without any of our aid.” He looks around the empty place. “I think we should leave this room.”

We head for the door and exit the training room. We emerge onto the center of a long rope bridge that suspends over a colossal gorge. The land—a golden-brown rocky plain as far as my eye could see, barren and desolate—to either side of us is at least sixty metres away. Judging by the light of the sun and its position in the clear blue sky, I take the time of day to be mid-afternoon. I peer over the handrails at the vast emptiness below us. It is too dark and foggy for me to see the bottom. The wind feels warm and gentle on my skin.

Christina asks, “So…what are we supposed to do? Cross the bridge?”

Lynn nods, “And get to the other side.”

The left end of the bridge begins to fall apart, its wooden boards detaching from the ropes and tumbling down into the gorge. In reality, the bridge should swing and slam against the other side of the cliff the moment one end of it breaks loose. But we are not in reality, and the remainder of the bridge that hasn’t yet collapsed stays in its suspended position in the air.

Lynn shrieks, “Now!”

Suddenly coming back to our senses from our petrified states, we dash in the opposite direction in unison. The bridge is no wider for two to run abreast. I call to Tobias as I’m running, “Four, is this your fear?”

“No, it’s—”

Someone screams behind me. I spin around just in time to see Lynn go down. A cry escapes my mouth. “Lynn!” Three-quarters of the bridge is now gone, and Lynn dangles from a stray hempen rope, holding on for dear life. We gather at the edge.

“This is _my_ fear!” Lynn answers my question. “I am afraid of falling!”

Christina says worriedly, “How far do you think is the drop?”

“Far enough for someone to fall to their death,” replies Eric.

I bend down and grab hold of the other end of the rope to pull her up, grunting with the effort. Uriah and Tobias rush to help me.

Tobias orders, “On three, guys. All right, ready?” Uriah and I nod. “One…two… _three_!” Together, we tug at the rope, and Lynn moves upward five inches. “Again! One…two…three!” We tug at the rope once more, and Lynn comes up another five inches. Just as we are preparing for the third pull, I hear a sharp crackling sound. The hemp fibers of the rope, which I thought was pretty sturdy, begin to stretch and break. This sends Tobias and Uriah into a panic, and they pull the rope even harder.

I shout, “No, no, no, stop! _Stop pulling_! It’s going to snap!” I lean sideways to quickly observe the distance between Lynn and the rocky cliff. Lynn is a brave person. I believe she can make it.

I hear another stretching sound of the rope, and Lynn yells, “Help!”

My arms are trembling with intimidation. I ignore it and say, “Look, Lynn, you’re at a fairly short distance away from the cliff over there. We’re gonna swing you in that direction, and you’re gonna leap onto those rocks, okay?”

“Just do it!” Her forehead is wet and shiny from sweat.

Tobias starts to repeat, “One…”

We move the rope from side to side.

“Two…”

We move the rope back and forth with greater force.

“THREE!”

We swing the rope with all our energy behind it. Lynn throws herself at the rocks of the cliff just as the fibers snap, and manages to get her grip.

Uriah pumps his fist into the air triumphantly, “Yes! We did it!” I half sigh, half laugh in relief.

“Uh-oh,” says Christina.

I follow Christina’s gaze to find out what she is fretting about. The remainder of the bridge has now begun to collapse.

“Go, go, go!” Tobias bawls, waving at us frantically.

We run towards safety. Tobias, who is the last one behind, has to practically jump onto the land before it is a second too late for him. Lynn climbs the rest of the way to the edge of the cliff where Uriah lends her a hand and helps pull her up. She thanks me, Uriah and Tobias.

Then the simulation takes us to the next landscape. I know it at a glance. We are back in the city, standing on the roof of a tall black pillar with crisscrossed girders: the Hancock building. The sky above us is cloudy and the powerful wind roars in my ears. Seven poles are built equidistantly in a row on top of the tower before us, with a thick steel cable attached to each one. A pulley hangs from the steel cables, and a black sling is attached to every one of them. The slings are made of tough fabric and are large enough to hold a human being.

Eric gives Tobias a glance, then says cheerfully with a smirk, “Time for zip-lining!” He knows about Tobias’s fear of heights and is savouring his nervousness. Tobias’s back turns rigid and his muscles tense up at the sight of the cables. He looks like he is about to throw up.

I’m the best person to help him get through this, so I go to him, take his hand in mine and lead him toward the roof’s edge. Meanwhile, Eric reveals to the rest of our companions that Tobias is afraid of heights.

“Tobias, I know you’re feeling scared, but I have faith in you that you will be able to overcome your fear,” I comfort him.

“We are a thousand feet up, Tris!”

“You _will_ get past this. All you have to do is to find a way to calm down and steady your heartbeat. That’s what you told me, remember?” I reassure him. “If you do that, you’ll be absolutely fine.”

Eric comes to stand beside us. His eyes follow the cable down, over the wide brown marsh, then the cluster of buildings and finally along Lake Shore Drive. He says, “I don’t think these cables are going to end. You’ll have to jump in order to overcome your fear of heights, Four, so I suggest that we drop into the marsh when we fly over it.”

“Why the marsh?” says Christina.

I point at the landscape and say, “Because further up ahead of the marsh are buildings and pavements. Unless you want to be smashed into a bloody pulp, you don’t want to fall from this high up onto _land_ , do you?”

Eric nods in agreement, “The marsh is our only chance. If we fly past it, we won’t get to drop again.”

Peter says, “Let’s go for it.”

“You sound like you are only too ready for this,” Tobias says to me.

I shrug, “Well, I have done this with Uriah, Lynn and a group of Dauntless born initiates before. Plus, it was night time when we did it.”

We each choose a cable and climb into our sling facedown. I make sure that I am right next to Tobias. I tighten the straps around my midsection.

“This is gonna be fun!” I hear Uriah say two persons away from me.

Eric checks each of us in turn from his position and asks, “All ready to go?”

“Yep!” Everyone except Tobias shouts back.

A powerful force of wind carries all of us forward at once, and we slide down our cables away from the edge of the roof into nothingness. We hurtle headfirst toward the ground at a steep incline, and I forget about the others and focus only on what’s in front of me. My heart thumps in my chest in excitement and my body is charged with electricity. I am pure adrenaline. This may be a dangerous experience for Tobias, but to me it is an incredible adventure that I don’t think I’m ever going to get enough of, and I am not as scared as I was the first time I did this. The cityscape looks beautiful from up here. I throw my arms out to the side with joy and let out a cry of exhilaration as I soar across the sky, feeling as weightless and carefree as a bird.

We don’t slow down as we approach the marsh but sail parallel to it about fifty feet above. Now is the time to drop. Eric is the first one to do so, followed by Uriah, then Peter and Lynn and Christina, their bodies creating splashes of mud and water. I glimpse sideways at Tobias, who catches my eye, and give him a nod. Then we simultaneously wriggle forward and fall.

When I remerge above the surface, I am not in the marsh anymore. I am in the middle of an ocean during a black, stormy night. The torrential rain slaps my head and lightning flashes in my peripheral vision. The water is cold and uninviting. My companions are nowhere in sight. I call for them, but there is no answer. I panic. The huge, destructive waves endeavour to consume me, and I fight to keep my head above the surface, but I’m struggling. That is when a realization dawns on me: this is my fear—drowning. A tidal wave has formed in front of me. It pulls me towards it. Feeling helpless and useless, I rise higher and higher with the crest as it gets taller and taller. I inhale deeply to draw in as much air into my lungs as I can. Finally, the wave breaks and I go under, the impact making me dizzy and knocking all the breath out of me. I thrash about in the water for a minute or two before I recover. I open my eyes and see nothing, not even my own fingers when I hold them out in front of my face. I am in total darkness, and it is scaring the hell out of me. I start to propel my body upwards to return to the surface, but something grabs my wrist. I open my mouth to scream. My voice comes out high-pitched and muffled. I jerk and kick in order to free myself, but then I feel an arm wrap around my waist, trusting and steady. I relax a little. It’s not a something, but _someone_ , and nobody else would do a friendly thing like that but Tobias. Although I may not be able to see him, I am grateful that he came to help me. He lets go of my wrist and gives my shoulder a reassuring squeeze, and then rests his hand on the small of my back and guides me downwards, deeper into the ocean. I clasp his other hand tightly so I won’t lose him. Together, we swim. We don’t swim for long before I feel a change in water current behind me. Then someone on the other side of me takes my free hand; I’ve no idea who, but I know that my companions must have caught up. I was just beginning to think that they are in some kind of trouble. I’m so glad I am wrong.

With a friend on either side of me guiding me, I feel less afraid. Even though I’m still holding my breath, I’m beginning to calm down. Now I understand why we are all swimming downwards. The ocean down here is stiller but a lot more dangerous near the surface during a raging storm like this, so it would be safer for us to stay in deeper regions, hence making it easier for our panic to subside. I hope we don’t bump into any sharks through this pitch-blackness, but I quickly push the thought away to prevent myself from panicking again.

My knees hit a hard surface below me. Have we reached the bottom? Before I could puzzle about this any further, the water of the ocean we’re swimming in suddenly vanishes. One second it was there and the next it’s gone. I am lying prostrate on the soiled floor in what appears to be a jungle at sunny daylight. Christina is on the ground beside me. On my other side is Tobias. I smile appreciatively at them and say, “Thanks for helping me go through with that.”

“No problem. It was obvious whose fear it belonged to,” Christina says wryly.

We stand up. There are many overhanging branches that curve and twist this way and that, and the trees and leaves around me are so thick and dense that it is almost impossible to see anything past them. I am soaking wet, but despite all the plants and greenery blocking out most of the sky, I can still feel the sharp heat of the blazing sun already beginning to dry my clothes.

I say, “We must be at the heart of this jungle,” then added, “And it’s so hot.” I wipe beads of sweat from my forehead, but in a minute they’re reforming again.

There isn’t the slightest breeze, and the sultriness of this place is unbelievable. Several rustling of leaves close by cuts through the quietness, and the rest of our team comes into view. There is not even enough room for us to stand in a small circle due to the thickness of the jungle. “That was intense! Hope you didn’t take it too badly, Stiff!” Peter exclaims, clearly referring to the previous obstacle. He ends up uncomfortably close right next to Christina, who takes a big step away from him.

None of us expects her back to get caught up in an enormous spider web, though, which happens to have appeared out of nowhere and has fluttering wings that could only belong to hundreds of white moths stuck all over it. At the top corner rests a black spider bigger than a human being and, having spotted its meal, it is moving slowly towards Christina. Moths, spiders…these are exactly what she is scared of. A shrill, high-pitched scream escapes her mouth. Christina tries to shake herself free, and when she couldn’t, she uses her hand to peel and push the web off of her. This is a mistake because now the whole of her arm is tangled amongst the glittering, silver silk. Her continuous struggle is only making it worse. The silk is strong and sticky. Within half a minute she’s completely trapped in the center of the web.

I hear grunts from behind me and turn around. Meanwhile, Eric somehow accidentally got trapped in a huge web too, its silvery silk full of fluttering white moths and, like Christina, he is fighting to free himself. More spider webs have materialized. They immediately trap the rest of us in a circle. Three gigantic spiders are advancing hungrily on Eric and a second spider is making its way towards Christina.

Christina yells, “Help!”

Uriah jumps to reach something above him. A bundle of long knives hang by a nettle cord from a low-hanging branch. Uriah grabs hold of them and tosses one to each of us. I go at once to my friend’s aid and so does Lynn, Uriah and Tobias. Single-handed, I slash at the silk, careful not to hit Christina. The blade is blunt in some areas and rather old, so it takes me several slashes to tear a hole in the web. Uriah has freed Christina’s left leg, and I bring my long knife down again and again until I manage to free her right. Tobias and Lynn are still working on cutting loose her body and arms. They are almost done, but at that moment the first spider reaches its prey and whips out a pair of fangs from its chelicerae, ready to inject its deadly neurotoxin.

“Look out!” Uriah shouts, white-faced.

Just as it’s about to attack, Peter throws his knife, and it hits the spider in the abdomen. Legs flailing, it falls off its web. Peter snatches another knife from the ground and stabs the spider again. It goes still.

Lynn and Tobias pull Christina off of the web. Christina, still shaking a little, swats at the moths on her head and shoulders, then catches Peter’s eye.

Peter says, without smiling, “You’re welcome.” He goes to pull both knives from the dead spider and then hurries towards Eric.

“Don’t help him,” Tobias warns Peter, who looks baffled. “These may be Christina’s fears—”

“You’re damn right about that—” Christina rolls her eyes.

“—but Eric’s fear came together with them,” Tobias finishes.

Peter makes a face. “I never knew Eric’s afraid of spiders.”

“Not spiders, relying on others. You know Eric, he’s smart, malicious and most of all, proud. He likes to accomplish things in his own way without the help of others. It gives him a greater sense of achievement. If we help him, it’ll…you know… _hurt_ his pride, and that’s what he’s afraid of, to be humiliated,” Tobias explains.

That doesn’t sound so different from the fear Peter faced earlier.

“Okay…” says Peter hesitantly.

“He can only overcome this fear by finding a way to calm down, to slow his breathing. We’ve got to let him do it on his own, or else we’ll be stuck in this jungle.”

Eric, trapped in the web, has stopped struggling. He closes his eyes and keeps his body still, pretending to be dead. We watch as three gigantic spiders move busily over him, spinning their silver threads speedily around him and rolling him back and forth with their legs, while the whole time Eric remains as still as a statue. It admires me how he can do it so well. Before long Eric is completely covered with silk from head to toe like a white human doll.

They’re going to eat him!

Then all the spiders and webs around us disappear, indicating that Eric has successfully defeated his obstacle. His body hits the soiled ground.

Tobias addresses Peter, “Now you can help him.”

Lynn cocks her head to one side and sneers, “So soon? I happen to quite like seeing him in this state…so impotent and vulnerable.”

I don’t say it out loud, but I agree with her. I glimpse at Tobias and don’t miss the corners of his lips curling into a small smile.

As Peter opens up the layer upon layer of silk encasing Eric with his long knife, I notice that the jungle we’re in is changing, morphing, into a cold stone corridor. Tiny blue-green lights along the foot of the walls illuminate the path, casting pale shadows on our faces. I know what is coming next. This feels all too familiar.

It’s as if the simulation program can hear my thoughts, because in the next moment the ceiling and walls on either side are closing in on us.

I am already on the tip of my toes. Christina says what I’ve been thinking aloud, “I believe we’ve got a chance to outrun this one.”

She takes off, and so do I. The seven of us dash through the corridor at breakneck speed. Peter, Lynn, Eric and Uriah, being much faster runners than me and Christina, overtake us. Tobias runs behind to keep us moving in case one of us lags. After what I feel like two minutes has elapsed, I make out a dim ending ahead. The corridor shrinks into the size of a long box and forces us to bend over. Peter and Lynn reach the end first and exit somewhat awkwardly. Uriah and Eric then squeeze through the opening, which is turning narrower by the second. Christina jumps, hunched-over, out of the now wardrobe-sized corridor onto safe landing. I approach the end three seconds after her and I have to practically ‘slide’ my way out. Tobias bumps into me before I can get back up, rolling on the ground the last few feet, panting.

The corridor reduces to nothing and disappears.

Peter, still gasping for breath, manages, “What fear was that?”

“Fear of confinement, Four’s,” I answer.

“We’re back in Dauntless compound, huh?” Christina says.

Peter says, “Seems so. More specifically, the Pit.”

I take in the surroundings for the first time. It’s conspicuously dark at this area of the Pit. Looking around is all I have time for before I’m blindfolded over the face by a strip of dark cloth. Rough, foreign hands yank my arms behind my back and tie up my wrists. They half shove, half drag me in an unknown direction. I couldn’t see a thing, but I hear noises and grunts from my companions. They must be fighting.

“Gerrroff me!” Lynn’s voice.

I must be pushed by at least three people. I kick one of them in the shin with the heel of my boot, thrust my elbow against another’s cheek, stomp hard on someone’s foot, and bump my head on a person’s nose, but they still hold me in their firm grips. My panic-stricken cries sound feeble and useless. Men reaching for me. Kidnapping me. I’ve been on this road before, with Al, and now it’s happening all over again.

I hear the distinct roar of water. _Water!_ Gushing, crashing against rocks several stories below me. I wriggle my arm violently, trying to pull it free, but a fist collides with my spine and someone gives my arm such a painful twist that I scream.

The sound of the chasm has grown very loud. Water strikes the wall beneath me and sprays upward. I feel the tiny, cool droplets on my skin and I am still stumbling forward. Getting so close. Closer.

I touch the iron barrier. No matter how hard I tussle against these men, I couldn’t fight them, not at once. They’re too strong. My feet leave the floor and my body is being lifted upwards…

A pair of hands suddenly releases me and then the other pairs slacken. I’m tumbling over! Somebody else catches me around the waist, his hands firm and secure. He pulls me away from the railing and unties my wrists. I remove my blindfold and look at Uriah, then give him a nod of thanks.

The three burly men who kidnapped me get up from the floor and come at us. They are dressed in black, just like us, but wearing golden-red masks, so I can’t see their faces. Two of them target Uriah and the other rounds on me. I fight him with all I’ve got, recalling the tactics I learned in training and applying them when and where suitable. He may be stronger, but I’m smaller and quicker, and I use that to my advantage. I meet, dodge and tackle every blow he throws my way, not backing down. I’m filled with determination to make him pay for what he just attempted to do to me.

I beat the guy sooner than I expected. He is on the floor, alive, but unable to get up.

I quickly go to help Uriah, who is still fighting, but stop myself when I hear pleading cries nearby. Peter is at the edge of the ledge. Two men are trying to propel him over the railing. One man has him in a headlock, and his other hand is pulling up Peter’s T-shirt so that I see the small of his back. Peter is struggling for his life.

I remind myself that no matter how much I dislike him, we’re still working as a team. So I charge at one man and knock into him full force. He slams against the railing so hard that it shakes. Before he could recover, I make a grab for his throat and squeeze, my fingernails digging into the soft skin of his neck, and hold his head upside down over the river. Using my arm and knee, I drive him in a swift, rapid motion into the chasm. The water drowns out his yell.

When I turn around, Peter is bent over the other man, punching his face repeatedly. The man is lying still. “Enough, Peter,” I say. “You’ve won.”

Peter’s fist pauses in midair, then lowers to his side. He stands up and jerks his chin at the chasm. “That thing you did… impressive, especially for a Stiff,” he says.

“Don’t make me regret it.” Then I couldn’t help but ask, “Was that your fear? Being thrown into the chasm?”

“Yeah, combined with what I’m guessing is your fear, of being kidnapped by men without faces.”

A scream pierces the air, its volume magnified by the hollowness of the Pit, startling me. I whip my head around to see Lynn collapsing, blood pouring out from her left thigh. I feel ice-water flooding my veins.

Uriah, having taken down the two men, adds, loud enough for me and Peter to hear, “And mixed up with Lynn’s fear too: uncontrollable bleeding.”

Peter, Uriah and I rush to where Lynn lies on the floor, Christina kneeling beside her. Eric and Tobias are still fighting four men not far away. It’s odd, seeing them work together. Pieces of dark cloth are strewn across the floor. Apparently these men had also tried to kidnap Eric and Tobias.

I am not aware of another man sneaking toward us until Peter stands bolt upright and catches his raised fist in his palm. The man gives him a head-butt to the stomach. Peter staggers, but holds his ground. He takes this opportunity to drive his knee to the man’s chin, hard. Next, Peter backhands him across the face and then strikes a blow to his temple.

Peter abruptly turns and shouts in our direction, “I’ll hold him off!” He and the man resume the fight.

I return my attention to Lynn. She is in a terrible state and barely conscious from blood loss. I look at her thigh and almost faint at the sight of it. What am I going to do about a wide, deep gash like that?

My voice comes out croaky. “How did this happen to her?”

Christina says angrily, “That guy happened.”

Her gaze settles on a dead man several yards away, his eyes open, a bloodstained dagger in his hand.

“Uriah, do you have any experiences on—”

“No. They don’t teach us that kind of stuff here. I can’t save her…”

“What about other factions? Perhaps the people from Amity—”

“And how are we gonna get to Amity?”

“Well… _my_ parents never got a chance to learn anything about how to cure someone with a very serious injury, and neither did I…you know, being from Candor and all.”

I listen to my friends in silence. The pool of blood on the floor is staining my trousers. I wish I could think of something useful to fix Lynn’s wound instead of just sitting here staring at it.

“Tris?”

Uriah and Christina both look at me expectantly.

“Do you know a way to help her?” asks Uriah. His eyes are moist. “Can you heal her?”

“I…um…” I hesitate, “I’ll need medicine, bandages.” I picture them in my mind as I speak.

To my utter surprise, a roll of cotton bandages and a vial of medicine appear.

Christina’s eyes widen. “How on earth did you do that?”

Uriah is clearly not as shocked. “It’s normal for people to make objects appear out of thin air. I had to do it a couple of times during stage two of initiation,” he explains.

I shrug at Christina and say, “We are still in a simulation after all.”

I pick up the vial, hold it over Lynn’s thigh, and watch as drops of colourless liquid land on her wound. Its effect is miraculous. Within a minute the epithelial tissue has regenerated and the gash closed in on itself until all that is left on her thigh is a long red mark.

“Wow, _that_ is amazing,” says Christina. Uriah nods in agreement.

“I suppose I can thank the Erudite for that,” I say with a smile, ripping off a section from the bandage roll and wrapping it several times around Lynn’s leg.

Eric, Tobias and Peter finish their fight with the men and come over to us.

Tobias looks down at Lynn. “How is she?”

“She’s going to be okay,” I tell him.

“Good.”

“I’m glad you saved her, Tris.” Uriah pats me on the shoulder.

I say, “I hardly done anything, to be honest. All I did was conjure medicine and some bandages. If you had thought of that before me, Uriah, I bet you would’ve conjured them yourself.”

“Oh, but he wouldn’t have thought of that,” Eric says reproachfully. “If it were up to us, we would’ve waited for her to steady her heartbeat and watched her calm down as she slowly drifted out of consciousness. That’s the alternative way for Lynn to get past it. Since you chose to be Dauntless, don’t you think that _curing_ her is a little… _Abnegation_ of you, Tris?”

The words sting me. The hairs on the back of my neck bristle. I stand up and snap, “I couldn’t stand by and watch her suffer and do nothing about it, so I apologize that your suggested idea hasn’t crossed my mind!” I inch closer to him. “You were the one who said that teamwork is one of the things the Dauntless value the most, right? If that is so, why shouldn’t I be helping her?”

Eric keeps his cold gaze on me. I return my glare at him, taking in his black and silver piercings, not blinking. I could tell he’s trying to think of a way to shoot back, but he knows he is beaten.

At that moment, Lynn wakes up, breaking the tension that’s building between us. Uriah and Christina help her to her feet, both of them glad that she could still walk fine. Then Lynn bumps fists with me for reviving her.

We then find ourselves inside a strange, colourful room, with its internal surfaces covered with intricate, spellbinding pattern designs in deep sky blue, purple and orange. Even the corners seem to blend in. There are neither exits nor windows. It feels as if we are standing in an art gallery, but I don’t get how that’s supposed to frighten us.

It has been a while later before I realize that I’ve been breathing louder and more deeply than I normally would. I inhale heavily again, but for some reason I am unable to get air into my lungs. I’m becoming more and more uncomfortable with every passing minute, and I have a bad feeling that it’s only going to get worse.

“I c-can’t—breathe,” Lynn chokes. “W-what’s the matter w-with me?” She cups her hand around her throat.

Tobias and Peter are pacing restlessly, taking in huge gulps of air.

“All the oxygen must have been sucked out of the room, like a vacuum—” I break off, choking on my own words. Continuously breathing in through my mouth is making my throat dry.

Three more minutes pass.

Peter splutters, “I don’t—I don’t think I-I can take it much l-longer…”

Five minutes.

Christina voices what we are all dreading. “If we stay here, we’re going to suffocate a-and d-die.”

“S-suffocation is my second fear,” Uriah reveals, his voice a croak.

I observe the room carefully, trying to find an exit, unsure if there even _is_ an exit, but there has to be. Concealed somewhere in one of the internal surfaces. I run my hands along the walls and then over the floor, feeling for a gap, the outlining of a shape, exploring. The others do the same. The search is sending my head spinning. Three times I thought I saw a door and three times I realized it was just my imagination. I reckon that is the purpose of these colourful, beautiful patterns in the room—they are there to trick us, to confuse us, to make us dizzy. Plus, the designs are irregular and don’t repeat, making it difficult for me to find an order to them.

After another while I lose my patience. I let out a frustrated groan and throw my head back, ready to give up. I gaze at the wall above me dejectedly as I pace the room again, the patterns almost inducing a hypnotic state on me.

Then I spot a change in direction of the patterns on the wall. I move directly below it to take a closer look, squinting in concentration. Where the patterns are _kind of_ parallel to each other on most areas of the wall, they seem to be nearly at right angles to the rest in that particular section. I examine harder. The section takes the shape of a rectangle, and located at its center, fitted so perfectly into the designs of the wall that it’s impossible to spot, is a small round bulge. A button.

“Guys, I think I found a way out,” I say.

Everyone gathers around me. I point at the shape in the ceiling. “See that section there? There is a change in direction of the patterns in that area. Well, sort of. You’ll only notice it if you look hard enough.”

Tobias is staring upwards. “Yeah, I think I see it too,” he says.

“Unless one of us can jump that high, there is no way we can get up there…” Eric’s voice trails off as I leap upwards to hit the button.

The rectangular section automatically slides sideways to reveal a hole in the ceiling, wide enough for two people to fit through. An aluminium ladder descends from its edge to my feet.

“Such the eternal optimist, Eric,” I say, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

Eric’s eyes flash. Of course he’s angry with me. This is the second time I got the better of him today, though I know I’ll probably feel guilty about it later.

I motion for Uriah to go first, and then climb up the ladder myself. When I reach the top I breathe in fresh air and sigh in relief.

Uriah inhales deeply. “Ahhh, that’s better.” He beams at me in pride, “Well-spotted, Tris!”

“That was clever!” remarks Christina, prodding me playfully in the ribs.

The doorway to the colourful room is gone straight after the last person comes out of it.

“How many more have we got left?” I ask.

Tobias replies, “Just one.”

We’ve been through thirteen fears. That’s good. I’m starting to think the simulation will never end. I brush my blond hair away from my forehead. I believe I can gather enough of my strength to endure the last one.

We have emerged into a large space full of security monitors and computers. It is the Dauntless control room.

Two people enter. It’s Max, the guy with dark brown skin and black hair who appointed Eric as a leader of our faction under Jeanine’s orders, and… _Tobias_. It’s obvious that this Tobias is generated by the program, because the real he is standing right next to me.

Max and Simulation Tobias approach Eric, the expression of derision clear on their faces. The rest of us back away from them instinctively. Tobias is rendered speechless at the sight of another version of himself. Both of them are even dressed in the same clothing. Max and Tobias don’t look our way. It’s as if the six of us aren’t here.

Tobias is the one to speak first. “Guess what great news I brought for you, Eric.” He glances over his shoulder at Max, who gives him a confident nod. “Max here has just appointed me as a leader of Dauntless, and wants me to tell you to resign.”

Eric looks like he doesn’t quite believe what he is hearing. He says coldly to Max, “Is this a joke?”

Tobias retorts, “Don’t be ridiculous. You’re finished here. Now listen: step out this instant, walk out of the room, and never come back…or I will make you.”

Beside me, Tobias has to cover his mouth to prevent from laughing.

Eric, however, is deadly serious. He turns abruptly to Max and utters, “You have no idea what you kind of foolishness you are getting yourself into, Max. Do you really think that he can replace me? ME!” His shout fills the room.

Max finally challenges, “How did you think you got second place in the rankings, huh? Four beat you. How many fears have you got?” He raises his hand and holds up his fingers one by one dramatically, but then waves it off. “Hang on. There’s too many that I lost count! And how many fears does Four have? Well, why do you think they call him Four?! Oh, I heard that you played ‘capture the flag’ the other night, and who won? _Four_.” Max steps closer to Eric until their faces are just inches apart. “But then, you knew all that, didn’t you?”

Eric doesn’t reply. His body has gone completely rigid.

Max continues in a purr, “Let me tell you something, Eric. You may be brave and cruel and independent, but you better surrender your pride, because one day it is going to be your downfall.”

“How dare you…” Eric whispers.

The slap across his face comes so fast that I barely register it happening. Eric lurches backwards.

“Careful, you worthless scum,” Max spits. “Remember who you are dealing with.”

Hearing the insult, I am sure Eric will hit him in return, but he contains his rage and manages to control himself. There is a moment of silence as Max and Tobias watch, quite joyfully, as Eric regains his composure. He turns to Tobias and says, “When Max offered you the position of leadership you didn’t take it. Why change your mind now?”

Tobias shrugs like it is the most obvious thing in the world. “Because I finally decided I want to be a leader. I wasn’t ready back then, but I am now. Come on, don’t give me that look. We both know I am better at the job than you ever will be, so I’ll remind you again: step aside. Go back to Erudite and tell Jeanine how you failed.”

Eric shakes his head defiantly, “Never.”

A gun appears in his hand. Without hesitation, he aims it at Tobias’s head and fires. I bite my tongue to keep from crying out. It’s not Eric shooting Four—he would’ve had no other option, but the way he does it so casually, that astonishes me. It’s as if to Eric, killing another person is as normal as dancing at a party or going to school, and maybe it is. I am absolutely disgusted. I can’t believe that someone would do something so ruthless and sinister.

Eric has his index finger on the trigger and now trains his gun on Max, who is holding up his hands. Then Max isn’t there anymore and the control room fades away.

The huge, dank space lit by fluorescent tubes with the pipes and graffiti walls comes back into focus. Our journey through the fear landscapes are over. For a few quiet minutes, none of us say a word. Everybody is reflecting on the series of events that had occurred.

Eric claps his hands to snap us back into reality. “All right, guys, that’s it. I know that was a hell of a lot of fears to handle, but you’ve done well.”

He sounds like he is referring more to himself than to the rest of us. He walks out, and the atmosphere relaxes.

“What an adventure,” Uriah concludes.

Lynn assents, “A thrilling roller coaster ride.”

Peter adds, “And an exhausting one.”

Tobias checks his watch, “Six o’clock, which means you have the rest of the day to yourselves. That was great, everyone, a great job. Now get some rest.”

Uriah waves at me with a smile. “I’ll see you later, Tris.”

“Yeah. Later.” I smile back.

He leaves the room with Lynn. Peter follows.

Tobias asks me with a look of concern, “You okay?”

“I’m fine,” I say, not really meeting his eyes.

“Hey, what Eric did in the simulation, shooting me, it was nothing but a nightmare you woke up from. So don’t dwell on it, okay? It’s not worth it.”

“No, it’s not.” Saying it aloud makes it feel more convincing and true.

Tobias nods, “Have a nice night.” He heads for the exit.

“Oh we will,” Christina says in a singsong voice to his back.

I nudge her. “Wanna go have some dinner? I’m _really_ hungry.”

“Me too, and whatever is on the menu, I do hope it is hamburgers,” she says, and I chuckle.


End file.
